Duhme Sterling Silver Rare Aesthetic Movement Black Coffee Pot, Cincinnati, c. 1892

This lovely "black" or "after-dinner" coffee pot is in a late aesthetic movement design, with the form being of Turkish inspiration, and the central band featuring wild and bold curvilinear decoration of foliage and pearl-like bosses, bearing a similarity to Gorham's St. Cloud pattern. Inside the cartouche is inscribed "1867 - MAD - 1892". Not bad for 25 years!

To quote Elizabeth Beckman in Cincinnati Silversmiths(Cincinnati: B.B. & Co., 1975, p. 50), Duhme & Co. was the "Tiffany of Cincinnati and the Midwest." Today, their silver is rarely seen and it is highly collected by people who love the idiosyncratic interpretations of high-style designs. This pot measures 9 1/4 inches tall, weighs 15.4 troy ounces and is in good antique condition - there are small dings and abrasions to the surface.